I bought a used Yamaha U3 (upright piano) in 2011, which was manufactured in the 80s. Still sounds lovely! No creaking or sticking keys, and she holds her pitch like a charm.

Granted, I don't practice enough and generally play more softly. Otherwise, studio pianos really start to show their age after a few decades.

We also have a quilt that my partner's grandma made for him as a newborn. It's beautiful, colorful, and looks like it could have been sewn yesterday.

Not sure which is older, the quilt or the piano...

Hahah noted. I'll keep that in mind if I'm running late and plan on a day of aggressive jay-walking? FR though, I would assume that actual work boots / steel-toed boots are also made to last?

Glad your sister was ok!

Mine are from 2017-ish, and I wear them pretty much all fall, winter, and spring (unless it's a particularly snowy or mushy winter day, in which case I have toasty lined LL Bean duck boots).

They still look almost new, but even if they started to crack at this point, I would consider that a reasonable lifespan for the price point.

I'll keep those other brands in mind, too!

That's too bad. The shirts I have are from 2009-ish. I bought another last year, but of course it's too early to call that BIFL...

It's a common theme whenever this question pops up, though. You can't call something BIFL unless it's been at least several years ... and by then, ownership and manufacturing standards may have changed!

That's funny - I wonder if it's all hit or miss depending on the specific pair or which batch you end up with?

I started with a thinner pair of Darn Tough socks (maybe it was the "lightweight" or "lifestyle" kind?) and developed holes in the big toes within a few months. To their credit, they stick by the lifetime warranty and replaced them.

Since then I only buy thicker Darn Toughs with a bit of padding (hiking style socks) ... those are both more comfortable and have proven more durable.

With Smartwool, I've only owned 2 pairs of their socks and a pair of convertible glove/mittens, but those are still going strong.

I don't deliberately seek out BIFL clothing, but I find that I can get a lot of wear from "regular" brands. A decent % of my wardrobe dates back 10+ years. Even my cheapo ($15) TJ Maxx jeans are good for at least 5 years before getting all saggy/frumpy. Is it still "fast fashion" at that point? *shrugs*

But to summarize my experience...

GOOD:

-Blundstone boots (it hasn't been 10 years, but I've worn the same pair most days for the last 5-ish years and they're holding up great)

-Brooks Brothers shirts (I'm wearing the same collared shirts that I bought for interviews right out of college)

-WHBM dresses (a LBD from 2010 is still my go-to cocktail dress)

-Smartwool socks and mittens

And pretty good luck from J Crew, Boden, LL Bean so far, including an LL Bean athletic shirt that I've often worn climbing since 2015/2016.

With darn tough, I appreciate their thicker hiking socks, but I can wear toe holes in the thin ones pretty quickly.

Also kind of random, my aunt bought me a Tommy Hilfiger shirt in middle school. I haven't grown much since age 12, and I STILL wear that plain, long-sleeved T all the time (mostly as a PJ shirt, but it's crazy to think how many washes that's been through).

NOT GOOD:

-Sperry boots (mine were cracked and leaking in less than a year)

-Everlane (all the tops I've gotten have been incredibly thin material, and the sweaters developed holes after just a few wears)

-Kotn was another brand I wanted to like, but their sizing was tiny to start with...and then shrank horribly in the wash

That's what's so ironic about the whole thing...like, have you ever peed at home, or at someone else's house? Then congrats, you've used a gender neutral restroom. And it didn't require a novella of explanation.

I remember when UVM changed all their signage for unisex, handicap-accessible restrooms to indicate "gender neutral". Correcting a problem that never existed in the first place...

Ok, but it's getting to the point where I might have to read 3 tiers of signage before knowing where to pee. I'm all for keeping things to a simple graphic or 1-2 words...I imagine that's also easier for folks who don't speak English as their first language. (And drunks.)

The last show I went to had the typical restroom icons indicating M/W/handicap accessibility. Then on top of that they had those cheeky signs for "what to do if you think someone is using the wrong restroom...step 1: acknowledge they have a better understanding of their own gender identity than you do, step 2: mind your own business", then on top of THAT the band playing had strong feelings about gender neutral restrooms, so they had more signs explaining that the M/F icons were temporarily irrelevant. So I'm standing there reading all this, doing my little potty dance, in order to understand why a gaggle of giggling teenage girls is flitting from one restroom to the next.

Who knew bodily functions could require so much direction??

I didn't know that. I dig it.

UVM does this, too.

It's also why they never hire overqualified, 40-something-year-old janitorial applicants...lots of white collar dads thinking they can save a buck by working as a janitor for 6 years haha

Hahaha I may have just realized that I've been using that word incorrectly my whole life...as a synonym for blustery

Me three haha, bookmarked to see what folks say ;)

I even bought a pair of pretty expensive alpaca convertible mittens, but the weave is too loose and you can feel the breeze right through 'em on a cold, balmy day.

The round church in Richmond is very picturesque in winter. If you're looking for small town cute rather than sweeping landscape views.